


let me fly you to the moon

by prettyboyrollins



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Breakfast, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Post-Elimination Chamber 2018, Pre-Relationship, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 13:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13881519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboyrollins/pseuds/prettyboyrollins
Summary: The night of Elimination Chamber doesn't go according to plan for either of them, but it's what happens on the road to Anaheim that changes everything.





	1. the night of

**Author's Note:**

> this is a sort-of sequel to my other fic, [getting through to you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13730412) the dynamic they share in this fic stems from the dynamic established there.
> 
> this fic also comes with a [soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/thexwalrus/playlist/4j1SQu1nQs4Tn6Rzs7zjEB?si=R_K0QNEhSFKGJ_KHgFTQ-Q) to enhance the experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me a week to write holy crap. i've been through about six drafts of this? and i think i'm finally satisfied with it.
> 
> thank you to [jesse](http://cityelf.tumblr.com/) and [meg](http://lunaticsfringe.tumblr.com/) for being guinea pigs with later drafts.
> 
> there's also a soundtrack [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/thexwalrus/playlist/7pPhcNfUHgEmGePU5SVDO5?si=gHnqhffNTCazCWp10g_3ig) specific to this chapter on spotify because apparently i don't go halfway with things.
> 
> enjoy!

As soon as he heard the announcement that she was eliminated, he knew where he had to be; without even consciously thinking about it, he found himself walking quickly towards the room Bayley had claimed backstage that night. He leaned against the wall by the door once he got there, strumming idly on Delilah, ignoring all the looks he got from passersby. He knew what they were thinking: Elias, out from his dressing room before his match? Elias, socializing? _Unheard of._

But this wasn’t about them. This was about Bayley.

She looked like hell as she came around the corner – her hair was a complete disaster, but the ponytail was still fighting to stay up, and she was holding her bad arm close to her chest, limping slightly – and she jumped when she saw him. “Sorry, Bayley, didn’t mean to scare you.” He strummed one last chord – a major chord, something bright, something _Bayley_ – and shifted so Delilah slipped off his shoulder. “C’mon, sweetheart.” He held out his arm, and Bayley looked at it for a second, judging if she was hurting enough to take the help, before hooking an arm over it so he could help support her.

“Thanks, Elias.” She sounded beaten down in a way he hadn’t heard before, and that squeezed at Elias’ heart. “I… you don’t have to be here. I’m fine. I’ve lost before.”

“I’m not here ‘cause you lost,” he said softly, helping her into her room and closing the door, providing a little privacy away from everyone else. “I woulda been here if you won, too.” It wasn’t a lie – he’d planned on being there to congratulate her and tell her that the title looked good around her waist. So he couldn’t do that tonight, and that was unfortunate, but women like Bayley weren’t one-and-done champions. He’d get a chance to do it some other night in some other city.

Bayley sat down in one of the chairs and rolled her neck, wincing a bit as something in her bad shoulder ached. Elias immediately wished he’d thought to bring ice instead of his guitar – ice would actually be useful; what could he do with Delilah other than bother her? He felt helpless, and Bayley just put her head in her hands with a sigh.

“I knew it would happen eventually, but it still sucks.” Bayley’s voice was thick with tears, and all the usual bounce and enthusiasm in her voice was gone. She sounded almost broken, and Elias sat on the floor next to her. His hand reached up and squeezed her forearm gently. “Like… she was – she _is_ – my best friend. I knew it was gonna be every woman for herself but she…” She trailed off, unable to find the right words.

“I know, Bayley.” He tried his hardest to sound comforting, and his hand slipped away awkwardly.

“The worst part is I know tomorrow she’s gonna make excuse after excuse, and I’m gonna accept them because I wanna see the best in her, and everyone’s gonna keep telling me I can’t trust her and that I’m being stupid and I just…” She trailed off and sighed again. “I guess titles are more important to her than I am.” Bayley looked and sounded absolutely defeated, and it hurt.

He decided that that was enough – Elias sat up a bit and shifted so he was in front of Bayley’s chair. His hands gently pulled Bayley’s away from her face, taking them in his own so he could squeeze them. Her eyeliner was smudging because of her tears; he shook his head and tried his best to find the right thing to say to provide any sort of comfort. “Bayley, you deserve way better than that. And I know it hurts, but I want you to focus on proving her wrong. ‘Cause she _ain’t_ better than you, Bayley. And I’d put money on her knowin’ that and bein’ scared of you.”

She looked at him intensely – she was searching for any kind of hint that he was lying, or just trying to make her feel better, but she couldn’t find it because he _meant_ this. He may be a loner, he may not like talking to most people, but he wasn’t insincere – he believed this with his entire heart and soul; she was better than Sasha, and she would prove it to everyone in time. “No one can look at you after that match and say that you aren’t tough as hell. A real contender. People were behind you all night, Bayley, and that isn’t somethin’ that goes away ‘cause you didn’t win one match. People will be screamin’ for you to have a title match after this, they’ll want you as their women’s champion, and you’ll get all that. You _will._ And I know that you’re aware of that, even if right now you’re feelin’ like Sasha was right. Don’t let yourself drown in that feeling, okay? Hell, you know all this. I know that sometimes you just… gotta hear it from someone else. Consider this a reminder.”

After a moment, Bayley nodded. “I know I’m gonna keep fighting for it, but… my best friend stabbing me in the back really fucking hurts. It’s like… it’s like I got all the wind knocked out of me. And I don’t want to see her right now or tomorrow or next week, y’know? I need time to heal that I’m not gonna get.”

Well. That was something he hadn’t considered. He’d never let anyone get close enough to have to worry about being stabbed in the back (well, until now), so he’d never had to deal with the pain of seeing someone you once trusted day after day. It knocked him on his heels, and he tried to think quick to at least come up with something to make her hurt a little less.

Instead, he found himself asking “You got someone to ride with tonight?” and he nodded to himself when Bayley shook her head no. “Right. Then, if you want company, I got space. If you wanna be alone, I understand, and if you wanna ride with someone like Mickie or Asuka, I get that too. But… the offer stands. You know where to find me at the end of the night, alright?”

Bayley squeezed his hand tight, and he squeezed right back. “Thanks, Elias. You should… you should go get ready. Kick some ass for me tonight, alright?”

“You know I will.”

 

Elias was hardly talkative when he got back to the locker room after being the first man eliminated – he was angry with Braun, angry with himself, angry with everyone else in that ring for not just _staying down_ and letting him pin them. He wasn’t in the mood to be around people, and he sped through his shower and changing so he could leave as soon as possible. His bags were packed and ready to go in record time, and the sweet promise of being alone on the road was carrying him through the thought of the drive ahead; Bayley was waiting for him with her bags outside of the locker room door, though, and even when he forgot about making offers, he was still a man of his word. “C’mon,” he grunted, motioning with his guitar case for her to follow him to his car.

They loaded their gear into the back in silence, and while Elias slid Delilah’s case into the backseat to keep her safe, Bayley got comfortable in the passenger’s seat and set up the GPS for him. She was a good co-pilot, apparently, but that made sense – she’d been doing this as long as he had. And she’d been doing it with friends up until this point. Of course she’d know what to do to help the driver out. He felt like an ass for underestimating her again, even in this insignificant way – he’d been doing that since Christmastime, and he really needed to stop because she was so much _more_ than anyone he’d met before. He was silent as he got settled behind the wheel, though – this wasn’t the time to bring that up, and he was still in a bad mood from his loss. He’d find a way to bring it up another day.

Elias put on some quiet music in the background while he drove – he’d had a playlist built for nighttime desert drives since he was 17 and decided he wanted to drive to the west coast as soon as he was able. This was the perfect time to use it, and Don Henley’s voice crooned out from his speakers; cliché as it was, he’d always envisioned the Eagles as the soundtrack to this in his mind.

“Always wanted to drive out here at night,” he said as the glowing lights of Vegas faded away in the rearview mirror. “When I got my license and a car, I decided I was gonna do a cross-country road trip and end up in southern California. Never actually got the chance, though.”

Bayley shifted to look at him and put her phone down. “Really? What stopped you?”

“Life, I guess. Took me in a different direction. But at least tonight I get to do a little bit of it. ‘S my first time out here at night, actually – always drove through in the day back in NXT.”

“When I was in high school, me and a bunch of my friends drove out here in the summer to go camping. It was kinda magical, y’know, laying on a car and watching the stars. There’s, like, no light pollution out here, and since we were all kids that grew up in San Jose, we weren’t used to that. There are so many _stars,_ man.”

For the first time that night, Elias smiled. “That’s why I wanted to come here. Just… get away from it all. Thought maybe I’d find myself and then go on to get a record deal.”

“And look at you now. Just played a sold-out show, you’ve already been in the studio, baby Elias would be proud.” The way she was talking, _she_ sounded proud of him, and that thought made him feel warm inside for reasons he didn’t feel like thinking about.

He glanced at her quickly, and his grin grew when he noticed hers. “Yeah. I think he would be.”

 

The drive was a comfortable kind of quiet after that; Bayley kept looking at her phone, and Elias could hear it buzzing with texts. “I don’t know why she thinks I’m gonna answer her,” was all she said, and Elias wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to hear that – he didn’t comment, but he did reach over to squeeze Bayley’s arm again for comfort.

He slowed down when he passed the sign for the Mojave National Reserve – something had always been pulling him there, and he felt it stronger now. But they still had a few more hours in front of them, and they had a show to put on tomorrow night.

“Hey, pull off,” Bayley said quietly, almost scaring Elias. She politely pretended she didn’t notice him jump in his seat, and he was thankful for that. “C’mon. I wanna show you something.”

“Bayley, we have a show tomorrow and we still have a four hour drive ahead of us.” His hand drifted towards the turn signal, though. It was tempting. The only thing holding him back was his hesitance to drag her out of the way if she was tired. If he was alone, he’d probably do it anyway. But she was _encouraging_ it.

“And we can sleep in and get brunch. If you’re tired, I can do some of the driving. C’mon. Pull off. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

He took the exit, and Bayley punched the air in victory. “You won’t regret this, Elias, I swear.”

 

They drove through the desert, taking it slow, and they both kept an eye out for any wildlife until he found a decent spot to park. “It’s already… it’s already better than I coulda imagined,” he admitted softly.

“Wait until we get out there, Elias. It’s gonna be _stunning.”_

It was only a few more minutes until they found a little area to pull off, and Elias killed the engine and the lights as soon as they were off the road. He leaned forward and looked through the windshield, and he couldn’t stop himself – he gasped. “Oh, _wow.”_

“Okay, no, that’s not how we’re doing this. That’s not how you stargaze in the Mojave, my friend.”

He looked at her, confused, but she was already opening the door and getting out of the car, and all he could do was follow her lead.

She patted down her back pockets before she hopped up on the hood, sliding back until her back was against the windshield. She pulled her leather jacket tighter around herself, but her smile never wavered. “The heat escapes really fast out here, but this? This is worth a little chilly weather, right?”

He just stared.

“C’mon, man, get up here. This is the _only_ way to do this.”

So, feeling like he was in a silly teen movie, he sat down on the hood of his car and leaned back, arms crossed across his chest. He was ready to comment on how stupid he felt doing this, and then he looked up.

He could’ve sworn he could see entire galaxies above them – thick swaths of bright stars cut their way through the darkness, but even the darker parts of the sky were still littered with pinpricks of light. Elias had never seen this many stars in his life, not even when he couldn’t sleep on redeye flights back to the east coast. He’d never felt smaller than in this moment; the universe was too big and too beautiful to even really comprehend, and he felt incredibly lucky to be sharing this moment with someone like Bayley.

It was all enough to take his breath away. _“Oh my god.”_

 “Right?”

Neither of them wanted to break the silence. They could hear the sounds of the desert around them – the howl of a distant coyote, the breeze rustling through the bushes, an owl hooting as it soared overhead – but that was it. No cars from the highway, no planes overhead. Just nature and the intermittent _tick-tick-tick_ of his engine cooling off.

It felt like they laid there for eternity, not saying anything, just watching the stars glittering above them, and after a slice of that eternity, Bayley shivered a little – enough to catch Elias’ attention.

He scooted closer, throwing an arm across the windshield behind her. “You getting’ chilly? We can go, y’know. We don’t have to stay.”

“I want to stay,” she said quietly, tucking herself under his arm and into his side; her eyes never left the sky above them. “It’s just… so beautiful out here. It’s… I don’t wanna leave just yet. I wanna keep enjoying the peace for a bit. Before we go back to all the crazy.”

“You’re right – we do got a lotta crazy to head back to.” Elias’ arm fell down around her shoulders and tugged her closer subconsciously. “We can stay. This is the most at ease I’ve felt since I started this job. It’s been kinda nonstop, but moments like this make it bearable.”

She smiled and shifted so that her head was on his chest, eyes still trained on the stars. “This is exactly what I needed. After tonight.”

“Me too,” he admitted quietly. “Thanks for takin’ me up on the ride, Bay.”

“Of course.” She snuggled closer, and his arm tightened around her, her warmth seeping through his jacket in the best way. “Y’know, when you’re not being a grumpy, antisocial asshole, you’re kind of the best.” She smiled a little as he huffed, biting her lip to hold in the laugh while he shook his head.

“Y’know what? I deserve that.” He laughed a little, deep in his chest, while he reached up to idly play with the ends of Bayley’s hair; it was softer than he was expecting it to be, and it took a little more willpower than he wanted to admit to prevent himself from running his hands through it. Things had changed between them in the past couple days, sure, but she hadn’t said anything, and he didn’t want to push it. Tonight was fragile and delicate and he wasn’t about to destroy it over a stupid impulse he couldn’t fight.

They laid like that for a while longer, only shifting to point out shooting stars to each other. Eventually Elias looked down and noticed Bayley wasn’t even stargazing anymore; her eyes were closed and she was just laying on his chest. She wasn’t asleep – she’d just pulled him closer a moment ago with a hushed “is this okay?” Was she really that comfortable with him now? Had they gotten to that point?

“Tell me if this isn’t alright,” he murmured, getting a hum in response, before he reached up to comb his hand through her hair. It was a long, tense moment before Bayley lifted her head up just a bit to mumble “feels nice” loud enough to be heard.

His hand kept moving in long, slow strokes, fingers running through it gently. She cuddled closer, and he laughed a little. “Don’t you fall asleep on me now, Bayley.”

Her “’m not gonna” wasn’t very promising, though.

“You’re exhausted. C’mon, sweetheart. We gotta make it to Anaheim by morning.” He couldn’t help but smile down at her as she whined, pressing her face into his chest. “I know, I know, it’s comfy here, but think about how comfy a real bed’ll be.”

She mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out against his pecs, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Elias took a deep breath and sat up a little more, hoping she’d let go so he could get down; no dice.

He pulled her arms away – she let him without much of a fight, which he was thankful for. She could’ve protested, and he would’ve stayed right there on the hood of his car until she let him go; he was realizing now he was weaker than he’d admit for her, and he was grateful these moments between them happened primarily in private. No one needed to use this against them at work, and he knew people like Miz and Sasha would. This? This was theirs. And he was starting to treasure it more and more with each passing day.

Once he was standing, Bayley sat up and shook her head, hair going everywhere. “I know I said I’d drive, but…”

Elias just chuckled and waved her off as she hopped off the hood. “You were about to fall asleep, Bay. I get it. You can sleep in the car. I don’t mind.”

Bayley smiled at him and slowly made her way over to kiss his cheek – just like she had before the Elimination Chamber, but this time she couldn’t say it was for luck; he blushed beneath his beard. “Thanks. If you need someone to help keep you awake, just shake me, okay?”

“You got it.”

He didn’t tell her the adrenaline that kiss sent through his bloodstream would be more than enough to keep him up for the next four hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [here](https://cdn.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/videos/11845241/thumb/1.jpg) [are](https://ak5.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/6988465/thumb/1.jpg) [the](https://www.blog.jimdoty.com/wp-content/uploads/130103-night-sky-Mojave-Desert-5D3-5953-w8.jpg) [images](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/2b/8d/1f2b8dfec2a614f8480c823714e66546.jpg) i used for references of the sky over the mojave desert at night. and there is a route from the vegas strip to anaheim that takes you straight through the mojave, but it adds two hours to the drive, which is why elias was gonna pass it up.


	2. the morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm actually embarrassed about how much research went into this considering none of it actually matters but elias' hair being down at the beginning of his performance on 2/26
> 
> here's the [soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/thexwalrus/playlist/3NCD7EhuzlDcLGQT8rJaUL?si=ftNVAqW4T0a2hcOZyIm3xw) to part two
> 
> enjoy!

Elias woke up earlier than he would’ve liked the next morning, what with how late he and Bayley had stayed up the night before. He was pretty sure she didn’t remember much after the desert – he’d helped her to her room and gotten another kiss on the cheek for his effort, but this one he had the mental capacity to return with a soft “good night, sleep well.” He was stepping into unfamiliar territory – dating and flirting were never his strong suits – and he was scared that that was too much, but his phone buzzed a couple minutes after he got up with a few texts that immediately calmed his nerves.

_“I’m up so early :(“_

_“Breakfast?”_

_“I did offer.”_

_“Well, I offered brunch. But it’s still breakfast now.”_

_“My point is, the offer still stands.”_

Months ago, he would’ve found her multiple texts and general clumsy enthusiasm annoying. He would’ve ignored them. Now, all it did was bring a small smile to his face.

_“Of course.”_

_“I’ll meet you at your room. I just have to shower real quick.”_

He found himself singing Clapton in the shower – much happier than his normal repertoire – and it brought a smile to his face. She was changing him in little ways; he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he was pretty sure she was slowly but surely making him better. Softer, sure, but just for her. And he was just fine with that.

After a quick debate about trimming his beard (which he decided against in the end), he was dressed and out the door. His Eagles shirt seemed only fitting – they’d been the soundtrack to him and Bayley’s near-perfect night, and the new memories tied to his favorite band only made it better.

He pulled his hair up while he walked so that it’d stop dripping on his scarf, and he retraced his steps from the night before. Her room wasn’t too far from the elevator, so he didn’t have too much time to overthink everything – which he was thankful for. This… _thing_ blossoming between them was so natural, and he didn’t want to rush it just yet. It wasn’t worth the risk, and if he overthought it, that’s what would happen.

He was also thankful that Bayley didn’t leave him staring at her hotel room door for too long after he knocked – his mind was already racing, wondering if this would be considered a date, but it all stopped when she pulled it open with a huge grin. “Hi!”

“Hey.” She was even bright and bubbly in the morning – that was almost unfair, because he needed food and coffee before he felt like he could muster up the energy she currently had. “You’re perky for someone who only got a few hours of sleep.”

She laughed a little and grabbed her phone from the chair it was charging on. “Ha, it’s ‘cause I already had a coffee. It was _terrible_ coffee, but I figure this diner will make up for it.”

“Diner? You already picked a place out?” He blinked, surprised, and Bayley just nodded, stepped out of her room, and grabbed his wrist to drag him down the hall as the door closed.

“Yeah. Looked at Yelp reviews after I couldn’t fall back asleep. It’s like, a ten minute drive? Do you have your keys?” She paused. “Definitely should’ve asked that before you came down here.”

Elias smiled at her and shook his head. “Lucky for you, I do. And _yes,_ I can drive us.”

“Even if you didn’t, you’d go get them so we could get breakfast, and you know it.”

“No comment,” he said, smirking a little and letting Bayley pull him outside.

“You’re gettin’ soft, big guy.”

He couldn’t help but think that she didn’t know the half of it.

 

“This is really the place?” he said, pulling into a parking spot in the lot of a cheesy-looking place with _Flappy Jack’s Pancake House_ painted on the side of the building. _“Flappy Jack’s?”_ As hard as he tried, he couldn’t hide the disdain in his voice. The name definitely didn’t do the place any favors or make him want to go in.

“Listen, I know the name is all kinds of awful, but the food looks _really good.”_ Bayley stretched a bit, and Elias noticed the edge of some kinesiology tape peeking out from under her t-shirt. He wondered how bad her shoulder actually was, considering how hard she pushed herself day in and day out.

“Hey, as long as they got good hash browns and eggs, I can live with a terrible name.”

Bayley took the lead, like she always did, and got them a little table for two. The place was surprisingly busy for a Monday morning, a bunch of kids – college age, so not _real_ kids, but they were definitely younger than them – and older folks populating the tables and booths. Their table was tucked away in a corner by a window, and the menus took up more space on the table than Elias thought was practical.

But the reviews didn’t lie – the food _did_ look amazing.

“Oh my _god,_ I want it all,” Bayley said softly as she looked over the menu, and Elias couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t wanna do whatever workout Josh’ll make for me if I eat it all, but god, it’s all so tempting.”

“That’s always how it is,” he agreed, eyes drifting past all the disgustingly sugary and incredibly delicious-looking waffles. “Crossfit’s probably harder on a stomach full of carbs.” He turned the page, trying to find something he could eat without wanting to die at the gym later.

“Oh, yeah, it definitely is. The first time I ever did crossfit, I ended up throwing up immediately after my workout. It was awful.”

Elias grimaced. “Why’d you keep goin’, then? There are workouts that aren’t so brutal on your body and still get you good results.” It was an honest question – he’d never seen the appeal, but he’d always been curious about what kept guys like Rollins and Cesaro going back for more.

“I like it. It’s… it’s fun. Makes me feel good and keeps me strong and flexible.”

Nodding, Elias glanced up from the page with all of their combo options. “Fair enough. It, uh… it works. You look great.”

She looked up at him, blushing bright red, and he realized what he’d said. “In the ring,” he rushed out. “You look great in the ring.”

The silence they fell into was tense and weird, but not quite awkward – it was only because he’d brought attention to how much things had changed between them over the past week – and they both kept stealing glances at each other without saying a word.

Elias was mentally kicking himself – so much for not ruining this thing between them before it’d even really started.

If it ended here, he’d never forgive himself.

 

Thankfully, the food was incredible and gave them something to talk about that wasn’t his terrible almost-flirting, and that helped them move past it.

Elias rolled his eyes at how much she was enjoying the 80s music playing while they ate, and she teased him about taking his coffee with way too much sugar. He stole some of her pancakes, and she stole some of his hash browns in return.

It felt a lot like a breakfast date, but he wasn’t about to bring that up after his earlier faux pas. He did, however, insist on picking up the check. It was only appropriate, even if she kept telling him she was happy to split it. “It’s my treat, Bayley. For last night.” That made her smile to herself, almost shyly. He loved it.

He was really enjoying that they were finally at a point where they were completely comfortable with each other – it was just a shame it came after they were eliminated in the Mixed Match Challenge. He was sure if they had another chance, they’d go all the way – their chemistry was off the charts now, and Rusev and Lana wouldn’t stand a chance against them in a rematch.

Elias let Bayley control the music on the drive back to their hotel, and he hated that he noticed how happy listening to her sing along to Paramore made him. The joy and excitement and _passion_ that she approached everything with was infectious.

Neither of them made much of an effort to get out of the car once he’d parked back in the lot of the hotel. The album Bayley had put on was still playing quietly, and she let the song finish before she spoke. “Walk me to my room?”

“Of course. I may be an ‘antisocial asshole,’ but I _do_ try to be a gentleman every now and then.”

Her smile was so bright he wished he had his sunglasses with him.

He held the door to the lobby open for her, and she thanked him with a grin that was way too big for a gesture this simple. She, in turn, offered him her arm, and he laughed. “Pretty sure I’m supposed to be the one doin’ that,” he said, holding out his arm for her to take, and she did after giving him an impressed look.

“You’re actually pretty good at this gentlemanly stuff.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Bay. I was raised right – my mom did a great job, no matter what Graves wants to imply.”

Bayley leaned into him for a moment as they headed to the elevators. “She definitely did. I’ll have to tell her that when I meet her.”

Elias tried to hide the shock on his face. “Wait wait wait – _when?”_

Bayley nodded like she hadn’t just changed the game on him again. “Duh. When she comes to a show, you’re gonna introduce me, right?”

He blinked. He hadn’t really thought about it, but she was right; if his mom made it out to a show, he would. He’d mentioned Bayley once, in passing, when he called her last. But he knew himself, and he knew his mom – that would be enough to make her curious about her, because it was so out of character for him to mention anyone at all. “You’re right,” he admitted, and he couldn’t even bring himself to seem annoyed at how smug Bayley looked.

“So it’s a when, not an if. ‘Cause it’s only a matter of time at this point. Your mom _has_ to be coming to a show eventually.”

“She’ll be at WrestleMania,” he admitted, earning a pleased squeeze to his forearm. “I’ll make sure you two run into each other. Just promise you won’t make my life hell.”

Bayley threw her head back and laughed, loud enough to get the attention of the other folks in the hallway with them. He blushed a bit, but she was unfazed. “Why would I make a promise like that, Elias?”

“Wishful thinking.”

Bayley shook her head, smiling and leaning into his side again. “I won’t tell her anything embarrassing. I don’t even _know_ anything embarrassing about you. It’ll be fine.”

“There’s a lotta time between now and WrestleMania,” he pointed out as they reached her door. “A lotta towns to make. A lotta drives to go on.” She gave him a look, wordlessly asking if that was an invitation, but he just gave her a noncommittal shrug in response.

“Well then, I look forward to learning all your embarrassing secrets, Elias.” She let go of his arm so she could step in front of him and stand on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek – this was becoming a habit, and he was pretty sure he’d never be used to it. “I gotta get ready to meet Cesaro so we can pick Seth up at the airport and go to the gym. But thank you for breakfast. And the ride. I’ll see you tonight?”

He fought the little tendrils of jealousy off. Seth and Cesaro hadn’t spent the night stargazing with her in the desert, after all. “Of course.”

With one last smile, she turned to open the door to her room, but Elias gently grabbed her wrist so she’d turn back to look at him. He kept his grip loose enough so that she could easily pull away if she wanted to; he didn’t want her feeling trapped when they were like this.

“Yeah?”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek in return, letting this one linger like the one he’d given her before her Elimination Chamber match. After the ride, after breakfast, he felt like this one weighed even more, and the shocked (but – maybe this was hopeful thinking – happy) look on her face made him think she felt that new weight too.

“See you at the arena,” he said quietly before he pulled back and out of her personal space.

He didn’t allow himself to look back as he walked down the hall. He would already be overthinking everything enough as it was.

 

Elias had heard that the women were opening the show right as he arrived, and he was a little mad about it – he was told he could show up a little later because he’d be closing the show out with Braun, and now he’d be getting ready while Bayley was in the ring instead of being able to watch it like he wanted.

He decided he could watch it in gorilla in his sweatshirt and jeans, headphones in so he could at least try to get into that headspace he liked to be in at work.

Every time he watched the women go out there and lay it all on the line, he was impressed. They’d been moving ahead at a breakneck pace since he got hired, and he was enjoying the progression of the division just like everyone else – his budding whatever-it-was with Bayley just made him a little more open about watching the women’s division matches.

It made his investment in them a little more obvious, too. Especially when he couldn’t stop himself from absolutely beaming when Bayley left Sasha hanging. _That’s my girl._

He let that pride carry him back to the locker room, smile still on his face – he pointedly ignored all the smart comments from everyone around him. He wondered if they realized that by making jibes at how he was _finally smiling,_ they were making him less likely to be around them by choice. Elias thought about pointing that out to them all while he changed into his new t-shirt and threw on a floral shirt over it, and then he grabbed Delilah and sought out a quiet place to write a song.

The song that had started coming to him was brighter and a little more up-tempo this time – the major chords and soaring melodies he found himself playing were tinged with a sad nostalgia, like most stuff he wrote was, but they were still happy by his standards, and he knew exactly why.

When he was just a teenager with a guitar, he’d always thought about finding a muse. He wanted someone to write his music about, someone who loved him just as much as he loved them. He wanted a Yoko Ono to his John Lennon, but with none of the drama. And now that his life track had shifted, and music was his second love, he’d finally found her.

Lyrics started swirling in his mind as he strummed, and he stopped playing so he could throw them in a note on his phone for later. The melody he’d remember – that was the easy part – but the words were always harder to capture. But now they were spilling out of him faster than he could type them.

He was finishing up the lyrics for the bridge when someone knocked on the open door to get his attention. He looked up and gasped – there she was, shoulder taped up, hair down and loose around her face. Bayley had changed out of her ring gear into a baggy tank top and jeans, and Elias couldn’t even find the words to describe just how beautiful he found her.

“Am I interrupting?” She seemed a little more timid than usual, and he shook his head, standing up and taking Delilah’s strap off so he could set her on the bench he had been sitting on.

“No, no, come on in, I actually wanted to see you.” Elias felt like everything was slightly off, but in a good way – he felt like tonight was going to be something big for them. “I saw what happened with Sasha, and I’m proud of you.”

Something in Bayley’s eyes softened, and she took a half-step closer. “It felt good,” she admitted. “It really did. And I wanted to thank you – you reminded me that I can’t let myself drown in those feelings. I don’t have to, like, keep her out of my life forever, but I’m allowed to let her know what she did really hurt me.”

“Exactly. That’s the Bayley I like to see.” He stepped closer too, planning on hugging Bayley close as a sort of congratulations for standing up for herself.

His plans flew out the window when Bayley grabbed his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.

For all the urgency she’d come into this with, the kiss itself was a slow kind of intense, burning Elias up from the inside out. Her lips were a little dry as they moved against his own; his hands settled on her hips as he pulled her closer. One of Bayley’s hands reached up to tug his hair out of the bun it was in, and she used the leverage to push up into the kiss more.

She was the one to break it shortly after that, and she was flushed and panting and Elias had never wanted her more. “So I didn’t misread all the signals?”

It took Elias a second to catch his breath and find his words, and Bayley stared up at him, biting her lip the whole time.

“No, sweetheart. You didn’t.”

“Oh, thank _god._ I thought you were gonna say that I had and that things were really weird now and that I’d ruined everything.” She blushed a bit. “You didn’t say yes right away and I got panicky.”

“I just needed to catch my breath. You… you surprised me. You’re real good at that, y’know.” He leaned down to steal a quick kiss; knowing that he _could_ was going to his head. “This is somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ about for a while.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but a production assistant interrupted her by knocking on the door. “Elias, we need you. You’re up in five.”

He sighed, and Bayley wrapped him in a hug. “I guess we’ll have to talk about this later.”

“I guess so.” He kissed her hair and held her tight. “I gotta go deal with Braun. I can’t bail on this, as much as I’d love to stay and figure things out.”

She nodded. “When you’re done we should get dinner before our flights. Talk about us.”

He couldn’t hide his smile at the implication of there being an _us_ for them to talk about. Elias extricated himself from Bayley’s arms and grabbed Delilah off the bench. “Sounds like a plan, sweetheart. I’ll meet you here?”

Bayley nodded, and he snuck one last kiss. “For luck.”

“You don’t need it. Go.” She practically shoved him out of the room, and he laughed as he headed down the hall to meet with the Monster Among Men.

But he was pretty sure that no matter what happened in the ring, even if Braun destroyed him, he’d _still_ feel like he was on cloud nine. And not even getting obliterated by Strowman could take that away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you without spotify, the song elias was singing in the shower was ["let it rain" by eric clapton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15y9NL3ANQ) which he subconsciously chose for a good reason.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this! i'll most likely be writing more of these two, because they're so fun.
> 
> as a side note, seth stayed in vegas overnight with his boy, and that's a fic i'm gonna try and write tonight.
> 
> let me know what you think! thank you for reading!


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